2020 in review

There’s no doubt, when we look back at 2020, the year that was, we’ll be thinking, ‘Phew, what a tough year!’ But there were a lot of highlights for us…

We expanded into new countries and markets

INDIA: The team at Chadrihariharpur, near Rourkela in Odisha, in east India officially joined the family, becoming part of our LIBERTY Steel Group. Our Executive Chairman, Sanjeev Gupta, said the acquisition was an important milestone and entry into “one of the fastest growing and most vibrant steel markets in the world”. Adding that, “On a personal note, it is great to be investing in the country where my family began in the steel industry a generation ago.”

READ MORE HERE.

AUSTRALIA: In August we announced that we’d entered into a binding agreement with South32 Limited and Anglo American Plc to purchase the hydro energy-powered Tasmanian Electro Metallurgical Company (TEMCO) smelter in Bell Bay, near George Town in northern Tasmania. This move will secure the site’s 250 jobs and give GFG ownership of the world’s 4th largest manganese alloy producer, which supplies a key steelmaking input.

READ MORE HERE.

FRANCE: Also in August, we announced that LIBERTY Steel Group has succeeded in its bid to acquire the strategic French steel assets of France Rail Industry business (‘Hayange’) and the Ascoval steelworks (Ascoval). The French Government provided final approval for the deal which will secure the future of the nationally strategic plants and their 700-strong workforce.

Hayange, located in Moselle, France manufactures a wide range of steel rails for nationally significant infrastructure clients including France’s national rail operator SNCF and RATP, the operator of Paris’ metro system, and is regarded as a strategic asset by the French government.

READ MORE HERE.

BELGIUM: In October, we announced that we had completed the purchase of the Duffel aluminium recycling and rolling mill near Antwerp in Belgium. Founded in 1946, Duffel is a leading European producer of premium aluminium rolled products and a pioneer in the European automotive body sheets (ABS) market. The acquisition of the plant – to be renamed ALVANCE Aluminium Duffel – marks a significant bolstering and expansion of ALVANCE’s downstream portfolio and its ambition to be a leading supplier of value added, sustainable aluminium products to the automotive sector and other industries.

READ MORE HERE.

USA: And last month we completed the acquisitions of Ohio-based companies Solon Specialty Wire and Shaped Wire from Leggett & Platt, opening new product markets and avenues for growth for LIBERTY in the United States. A leading manufacturer of drawn steel wire, cold‐rolled shapes, and aluminium products, Solon provides solutions for customers in the automotive, fiber optic, food packaging and medical end markets.

READ MORE HERE.

We won some impressive contracts

In spite of a global pandemic, our teams were still out there winning new business.

Like in the US.

READ MORE HERE.

Or at our Whyalla port in Australia.

READ MORE HERE.

We won some awards

Accles & Pollock, our UK-based precision metal tubular assembly business won the International Trade category in the prestigious Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2020. The team of 50 are a leading manufacturer of rigid and flexible pipes, aerospace ducts, and tube coils for high integrity applications across the aerospace, medical, nuclear, scientific, and oil and gas sectors – that’s incredibly cool work!

READ MORE HERE.

LIBERTY’s Steelworks helped bring some praise and recognition for Whyalla for their part in creating an iconic new jetty. Congratulations Whyalla!

READ MORE HERE.

We made inroads on our strategy

LIBERTY Ostrava just reported its lowest level of dust emissions ever. In July the team shared that they were able to reduce emissions by over 20% year-on-year, to a level more than 60% less than stringent European legislation allows, and they now stand at around 99% less than they were at their height in the 1980s.

READ MORE HERE.

Also at Ostrava, last month Sanjeev launched the tender process for the team’s new hybrid furnaces. The project is the first of its kind in Europe and is aimed at achieving Ostrava’s carbon neutrality by 2030 as part of our CN30 goal. The new furnaces will transform the plant’s steel-making operations, reducing dust emissions by 60% and carbon emissions by more than 50%.

READ MORE HERE.

We got busy in the Bayou

Our LIBERTY Recycling team got to switch back on operations in Louisiana, USA at the former Bayou Steel plant.

READ MORE HERE.

We kickstarted careers

Every year LIBERTY Ostrava in the Czech Republic gives apprentices from Ostrava’s vocational schools the opportunity to get hands on experience in real work environment. In October the Ostrava team welcomed 105 apprentices, from five local schools, to start their internship across the seven separate plants at the mill. The practical training, which runs under the supervision of the plant’s most experienced experts, focuses on mechanics, machine setting, electromechanics, machining and railway transport. The long-term goal of the project is to help enhance the studies at technical schools and make the steel industry and associated trades more attractive to the young generation.

READ MORE HERE.

18 year old, Nyachieng Jok John, a member of our LIBERTY Steel Female Engineering Academy told us about her experience in our academy, saying “I’ve enjoyed some of the trips and units. My favourite ones include mechanical principles, engineering materials and engineering design. We definitely need more women in engineering. Let’s not let fear, age, gender or anything else stop us from dreaming big and being the best we can. We can do it!”

READ MORE HERE.

The LIBERTY Galati team in Romania extended the number of educational initiatives they’re involved in, continuing their efforts to attract more young people to join the steelmaking industry by signing a new partnership with “Dunarea de Jos” University Galati.

READ MORE HERE.

We worked as one to become Life Savers

In a huge, global effort, we created our very own GFG Life Savers – a set of safety behaviours that we all share and that account for 80% of critical incidents across our business. A huge thanks to everyone involved in their development, and also to the people in our business that live and model these Life Saving behaviours.

Read more about the Life Savers and our Be GFG Safe strategy here.

This was just a taste of some of our great achievements as a family in 2020. You can find more news and features stories each month right here on Spoke.

If you want to share a story, comment below or email us at gfgglobalcommunications@gfgalliance.com – we’d love to hear from you!